Changes
by Lover's Angel
Summary: After several years of being nothing but acquaintances, Cindy comes to a point where she needs Jimmy. And maybe he needs her too? Rating for innuendo and some language.
1. Chapter 1

I'm going back to my roots now, and getting away from my usuals a bit. Mostly because I'm lacking inspiration and fundamentals that came from the Jimmy Neutron world. I need it back, so for a while, I will avoid Feudal Japan and vacation in Retroville with a nice teen romance. So anyways, read if you are interested, and give criticism if you feel you have to.

This won't be big project though. Just a month or two of a childhood love in case you prefer my other works. But thank you for reading anyways.

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron belong to Nickelodeon.

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><p>"Alright, everyone. Pair up or get into groups of three for this semester's project. Keep in mind that you cannot pair up with someone you've worked with before." Mr. Brown yelled out into the room as he finished passing out the handout. Then he walked slowly to the back where he went to sit at his computer, trusting the students to do as they were told. After all, they were Juniors now, and had been with that teacher for long enough to know that he wasn't lenient on the rules.<p>

It was almost immediately then that everyone gave Jimmy a wide berth as they went to find their friends or acquaintances. This was still an accelerated Biology class and his partners always got an impressive grade, but early on, Jimmy learned to make deals with all his partners that some just couldn't handle. See, he wasn't stupid, but aside from Carl and Sheen, he was often paired with those who were. And if they weren't, then they were lazy enough to order Jimmy around. So any person he worked with that could not do their share would have to become a willing guinea pig in a future experiment. After all, Carl and Sheen could only be a test subject so many times before the effects became more permanent.

He sighed, looking over the project's instructions to decide which idea to go over with his next partner. After all, groups of three were not allowed until everyone in the room was in pairs.

On the other side of the room, Cindy was left without options. She had been slipping lately with her tests, and desperately needed an A on the project to keep over 90% in the class. Usually she would just do the project with Libby or Brittany, but when they pulled together, the best grade possible was in the B range. It just wasn't going to cut it. Fortunately, she had one last person she could go to.

"Got a partner yet, Neutron?" She asked, taking the open seat next to him.

"No, Vortex. So if you've come to discomfit me about this fact, then I ask that you turn back around and join your usual friends for the project." She hadn't been as callous to him since they entered high school. But if the situation called for it, a joke or prank was occasionally pulled at his expense.

"No, I'm here to be your partner."

"Oh." His crystal blue eyes looked down, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks.

"So," Cindy took the paper out from under his now still pen to read the notes he had written on the sidelines, "from the look of it, you want to do number two: The effects of artificial sweeteners on mitochondria. Mr. Brown has the supplies, but this one seems to take to most time and use more materials than the other experiments. Are you sure you want us to do this one?"

Nodding, he lifted his head enough to look at the paper with her, pushing his hair back from his eyes with his hand. Puberty had treated Jimmy well, allowing him to finally grow to more appropriate height and body mass for his age and head size, and deepening his voice to a mature timbre. With such an impressive physical change, his mind had to mature also and the first thing to go from his childhood was the swirl hairdo. Cindy still remembered the day he came in sporting a short, casual style; it was also the day he began a very brief relationship with Nissa.

"Well, I have all of the materials and equipment except for lima beans and the artificial sweeteners. In reality, this is the only one of the experiments that has outcomes I am unsure of."

"I can bring that stuff. We need three different sweeteners, right?" Jimmy nodded in her direction, only then looking up to meet her eyes, "Okay, so I'll get the more basic ones: Sweetie, Less Than, and Splendor. I have dance afterschool today and cheerleading practice on Thursday, but otherwise I'm free to do it sometime this week."

After getting down all the details about location and time, the boy genius traded cell phone numbers with his new lab partner just as the bell signaled the end of the period, and the school day in general.

Jimmy took more time packing up his stuff than Cindy, and admired her from a distance as she left to join Libby out. Time really had changed her. With all the distance that grew between them with age, his childish crush became something more. It might have been the new way she wore her hair, or the curves that had filled out to a lovely hourglass figure. But either way, his new feelings for her were strong enough that it hurt to watch her date Nick Dean, at the same time, he was glad she seemed happy with him. Besides, it was just a part of everyday routine to keep vigil on Cindy Vortex. It made the longing less painful in ways he wasn't quite sure he understood yet. Maybe working with her on this project would allow him to explore these confusing feelings.

After putting his last useless book away (He read them all the first week of school), he headed out the classroom to his locker. Seeing Carl putting his things away in the locker next to his own, he went back to routine and put away his school back pack, only bothering to take out the folder he had reserved for homework files. There wasn't even really a point in bringing experiments or gadgets that needed tuning to school since bullies continued to enjoy breaking them, or even more recently, using them inappropriately.

"Hey, Jimmy." Carl wheezed, pulling out his inhaler.

"Hey, Carl. Where's Sheen?"

"Over there," He jerked his thumb behind him and Jimmy caught sight of a black, spiky head of familiar hair coming in their direction. "He was being all lovey-dovey with Libby and I didn't want to lose my lunch."

"Right, well, he's heading towards us now, if I'm not mistaken. So I suppose Libby must have been too busy to engage him further in their make-out session."

"Hi, guys!" Sheen yelled out, not having heard what Jimmy said, and being too preoccupied high-fiving them to care. Instead of his traditional Ultra-Lord gear, Sheen had taken to wearing his jean jackets or school sports jerseys to class. Being involved in football and lacrosse helped control his excessive energy, but to a point, he was always in it for the pain and adrenaline that accompanied a fierce play. Not to mention the brownie points it earned him in his relationship with Libby.

"Are we gonna hang out at the lab today for a movie? Cause Libby kinda cancelled our date tonight." Sheen asked, leading the way out of the building.

"Well, Carl and I did plan to watch the new science-fiction film that my mom purchased yesterday. But what happened with Libby, Sheen? I was under the impression that you only cared to go on a double date with Cindy and Nick to lose them on the "Tunnel of Love" ride." Hearing about what happened on dates between Libby and Sheen didn't matter much to Jimmy, but hearing about how Nick treated Cindy was far more interesting on a personal basis. Sheen just happened to be an inadvertent conveyor of information by way of his girlfriend.

They reached the hovercar in the parking lot by then, and each sitting in their usual seats: Jimmy driving, Sheen with shotgun and Carl in the back. Jimmy had changed the entire design to look and feel more like a typical automobile to keep up with the trends and probability of vandalism in school. Though, having a car that flew above the rest made his vehicle far better than any other boys' in school. At least that's what his ex Nissa had said.

"Nick broke up with Cindy in the hallway after class, and she just kicked him in the nads and walked away. I asked Libby if we could go without them to Retroland, and then she said, 'No, Sheen. Cindy is my girl and she needs me right now.' So I think we're gonna go next week instead. What movie are we gonna watch? Cause the best Ultra-Lord rerun—"

At that point, Jimmy just tuned them out, his mind going back to thoughts of Cindy out of its own volition. Pretty much since freshman year, Cindy and Nick had been the popular couple: she the head cheerleader, and him being the constantly injured quarterback. And now that they weren't 'an item' as Libby referred to them, then maybe he had a chance to…

"Hey Jimmy, where's the movie?" Carl's face overtook his line of sight, and the slight shock at having tuned out for the entire way home was a little unsettling.

"Huh? Oh, right. Just a second."

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><p>"I swear, Libs. I'm fine."<p>

"Sure that's what you say now, but next thing I know, you're calling me at four in the morning crying your eyes out, saying, 'Oh, Libs, what will I do without him?'" She mocked from the bed, admiring the lovely designs on her nails.

Cindy turned around from her desk chair, hoping that maybe enough chatting would make Libby leave. "No, seriously. I'm not mad that we broke up, because he was a pretty bad boyfriend. Remember the time Brittany caught him cheating on me with Betty?"

"Okay, sure. But then why did you stay with him, girl?"

"Honestly? I knew dating a good football player would give me just enough star quality to get Homecoming Queen. Now I'm just mad cause he had to be a dick and break up with me before Prom."

Libby was expecting some sort of excuse like that. But what was a little scary was the fact that she wasn't lying. There was no hair-twirling , lip-biting, or finger-wringing, that _always_ followed a fib. And now she just sat there calmly. It was almost like the public humiliation didn't happen at all.

"Alright, Cin. I believe you. But now what are you gonna do for Prom? It's in a month."

"I have no idea. But maybe it's just better to not go, you know? I mean it's not the end of the world; it's just Junior Prom."

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><p>Every single fiber of her being was telling her that this was wrong. She and Jimmy had decided to meet afterschool, not at four in the morning! And yet, there she was, sneaking across the street in her pajamas to the neat little clubhouse behind the Neutron residence (they really should have installed a fence at some point). There was just a small part of her brain that refused to let her fall asleep and almost insisted on going over there. It was almost like her subconscious was pulling her towards him and thought that he would be there.<p>

"**Name?**"

Too late to turn back now, even if he wasn't there, Vox would definitely record her visit.

"Cindy Vortex."

"**One Moment.**"

Instead of dumping her in a trashcan like she expected, Vox remained quiet for 30 seconds until the welcome mat slid out from under her and she slid down the plastic tubing of her memories. Her slight trip ended abruptly with a mattress under her bottom. Better than the hard floor she remembered at least.

When she looked up, he was on the other side of the room, wearing only red flannel pajama bottoms and rubbing his eyes against the dim light in the room.

"What are you doing here, Cindy? You know that these are not customary hours to receive company."

"I know what time it is. I just… I don't know, I didn't think you'd let me in. Or that you'd even be here…" Cindy got up slowly, hoping that maybe he would let her in to the lab.

He walked ahead of her into the hallway leading to what she remembered to be the lab, and since he didn't yell at her yet to go away, she followed.

"Even if I didn't spend so much time here, I always know when someone approaches. Vox now has a wireless attachment point in my bedroom so I can keep watch on suspicious activity." With that said, the doors at the end of the hall opened and Cindy was left amazed again at the splendor that was Neutron's lab.

He had expanded it again, adding several clearly defined areas divided by glass walls and doors. The entire plot of what she could tell was an enormous room was in the dark with sporadic lights flickering in different spaces. And to her left, in the only lit space, was a makeshift room with bed, couch, and modest television in fair conditions. He even had a poster hanging on the wall nearby, and though it was hard to tell, she could make out some sort of motorcycle with a girl in a bikini lying on top in a provocative position.

"I would apologize for the fashion that you caught me in, but as I didn't get an admonition of your visit and this is my lab…" He left the sentence hanging, knowing that she would catch his drift, but to be clear, he gestured to his bare torso.

"No, no. It's alright," As if she needed more of an excuse to ogle his defined chest, "Just one question though: What's with the poster? I thought you had more taste than that." She sat down on one end of the couch as he sat on his bed across from her to keep eye contact going.

"It's not mine. Sheen hung it up with a particularly strong adhesive I made, and demanded that I keep 'her' for… decoration." The last word came out strangled, and Cindy could tell that he had almost said something else, clearly not something for polite company.

"Now my turn, Vortex. You talked to me politely the other day and asked me to be your partner for the first time in years, and now you are here before dawn to talk to me instead of your best friend... What do you want?" Jimmy raised an eyebrow, his skepticism dimming the glow of his blue eyes quite a bit.

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><p>What's this? A cliffhanger? Yup. I need practice. :) My plans for this story are very simple, nothing more than five chapters about this length, so stick around if you are so inclined.<p>

Anyways, thanks for reading. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

First of all, I just want to say thank you for the support and love this little ficlet is getting. I cherish every single email that comes in my inbox. I really appreciate it. Anyways, I won't keep you longer.

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron belong to Nickelodeon.

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><p>"I have no idea." A desperate look came over her, and Jimmy could tell that she was struggling with her words.<p>

"I know you think I'm probably kidding or something, but I really don't know what I'm doing here. I mean… about the other day in class, I only picked you because I wanted a good grade on the project. And now..." She sighed, looking away from him for a second to collect herself. Then she looked back, a very familiar fire brightening her eyes. "Let's just drop it, Neutron. I'm sure it doesn't matter to you anyways, so you can kick me out now if I'm taking away your precious beauty rest."

A very long silence passed between them as Cindy tensed for his words. Jimmy, on the other hand, simply watched her for a moment, trying to decide what the best course of action would be. She was clearly a mess and needed something from him, but maybe she was lying when she said she didn't know. If she did lie, then why give him the option of throwing her out? None of her actions tonight seemed to make any sense, and yet, having her to himself in the wee hours of morning almost felt like a miracle.

Might as well keep her. "Would you like to watch a movie with me?"

"Huh?"

"Let's _not_ pretend that you didn't hear that, Vortex and just give me a response to my question." A small smile crept up his cheeks, so she would now he wasn't chastising her.

She smiled back after a moment, feeling more like herself than she had in days. "Okay. But _please_ tell me you have something other than stupid documentaries about the universe."

"What do you mean stupid? They hold far more pertinent information to the way our world works than any Ben Stiller or 'Superbad' type movie currently in circulation." He walked over the television stand, pulling out a Playstation 3 controller, and going back to sit next to Cindy on the couch.

"Well duh, if you want to go the scientific route. But I want to watch a more interesting movie, do you have any?"

"I know what you were referring to, so fortunately for you, I have Netflix. What kind of movie would you like?"

It was about an hour later, halfway through the exact kind of movie Jimmy had been criticizing, that Cindy's head fell under the weight of sleep to rest on the arm of the couch. Clearly she had been deprived of sleep for a few days, as evidenced by the deep circles under her eyes and the disheveled hair pulled back into a lazy ponytail. Not like Cindy at all to let even a single hair out of place.

After a yawn escaped his hold for the third time, he checked the time and made some quick decisions. "Vox, reprogram alarm clock for 07:15, mode four." That would give them another half hour of sleep, and about forty-five minutes maximum to get to school.

Jimmy turned off the television and game console with the remotes, and reached over to pick up Cindy as gently as possible into his arms. The good thing about being a genius was that with the flexible scheduling he made and consistency of following it, he had ample time to work out and stay in optimum physical condition. So lifting Cindy was a little difficult, but possible. When she wrapped her arms around him though and buried her face into his neck, he stumbled a little in surprise on the way to his bed. But he made it there though, and after setting her down and pulling her hands away from his shoulders, he stumbled back to the couch and passed out on the rough fabric, accepting the Sandman's gift graciously.

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><p><em>Black dress, with the tights underneath<br>__I got the breath of her last cigarette on my teeth  
><em>_And she's an actress (actress), but she ain't got no need  
><em>_She's got money from her parents in a trust fund back east._

"Vox, turn off the alarm. I'm awake."

"**Name element 18 on the periodic table along with its state at 20 degrees Celsius.**"

"Argon, gas. Now shut off the radio." Jimmy got up off the couch slowly, looking over at a startled Cindy sitting up on his bed.

"Good morning, Cindy. I trust you slept well?"

She looked confused now instead of scared. "You didn't have to give me your bed. I didn't mind sleeping on the couch, or even if you sent me home."

"Okay, aside from the fact that you ignored my previous question, you looked really tired. And it would have been worse to send you home in that condition. I didn't mind, though. The couch was satisfactory, which might have been why you fell asleep on it before I did." He smiled at her, hoping that she would finally relax enough.

"Thanks. Now how much time do we have before school starts?" Getting out of the very warm and comfortable bed was a challenge for her, and the knowledge that it was _Jimmy's_ bed made it slightly more so than she would have guessed.

After she managed to stand up, though, a fair amount of stretching helped to wake her body up a little more thoroughly than the radio alarm had done just a minute before. And though she wasn't doing much more than simple lateral movements, Jimmy couldn't help but stare as each new position heightened the details of her body. When she was done, if he could draw efficiently, he might have been able to draw every line of her body from memory. Not exactly the best mental picture for a teenager.

He turned away quickly, sitting on his haunches to wake Goddard from his charging bed on the corner next to the television stand, and yelled over his shoulder to Cindy, "We have 43 minutes until first period. The elevator is where you remember it, in the room that you dropped into. If you are running late and need a ride, just text me; we can go together in my hovercar so that you're not tardy."

"Okay. Thanks, Jimmy." The emphasis on the on the word thanks as she left, made it clear even with his limited understanding of underlying communication, that her gratitude extended far beyond just his offer.

Goddard looked up at Jimmy, knowing his master well enough to not question the random smile creeping up his cheeks. What might have helped the most was that even though Goddard had not seen anyone other than Jimmy, Cindy's scent still permeated the air. Yup, thoughts of that girl alone made a goofy smile pop up. No doubt seeing and having her here would have a more potent impact.

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><p>"Cindy!" The shrill yell carried down the hallway and once it hit the intended's ear, she shivered.<p>

"What?"

And there she was. It hadn't even taken Libby a few seconds longer than her voice to reach Cindy. From the expression on her face, she meant business.

"We need to talk."

"Libs, it's still considered cheating on Sheen if you want to be with me." Cindy giggled at her own joke, knowing well enough that no one else had heard her.

"Oh, shut up girl. Let's go somewhere else," Libby pulled her best friend away from the crowd to a corner where they could talk more in private for the few minutes before class started.

"Now, are you going to tell me what's going on between you and Jimmy, or do I have to start pulling teeth until you do?" The words came out sickeningly sweet, and Cindy could tell she was losing her patience.

"No, I'll talk." Cindy sighed, "Jimmy gave me ride to school today because I was running late. There! Happy? Now can I go to class? I can't be late."

"No, shut up! There's more than that, I know it! So spill."

"You do know you told me to shut up and talk just now, right?" Cindy said sarcastically.

"Oh, like it matters! You know you want to tell me."

"There's the thing, Libby. I don't really know what's going on. It just kinda is…" The bell rang then, indicating the last minute of passing period.

"Ugh! Fine! Just go to class. But keep your phone on! I'll text you later, and I want details!"

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><p>The English teacher wasn't very clear on her instructions with this assignment, and it irked Jimmy to have to rely so heavily on his friends for writing poetry. At least he could help out on this portion of making the found poem by wandering the halls with them and writing down lines on posters that caught his attention.<p>

However of the three of them, Sheen was once again the one to lose focus. It always happened whenever Libby texted him. And boy did she sound desperate, just not for what he might have wanted.

**hey baby, can you please help me with something?**

Was she going to make a salad? No, not kelp, help. Maybe it was the good kind of help. Was there a good kind of help? He could always ask that later, but first,

**What?**

Now he had to wait. Man waiting sucked. Libby always took forever to text and her phone was old and— there was the buzz.

**ask jimmy if he and Cindy have anything going on. Like, if he's seen her lately. But try to be sneaky.**

Sneaky, huh? He could be sneaky. Probably nothing like Ultra-Lord's stealth mode in episode 412, but he could be sneaky too.

**okay, but you owe me 2x now!**

"Hey Jimmy, have you seen Cindy lately?"

"What do you mean, have I seen Cindy lately? You saw her get out of my car this morning, Sheen." Both Jimmy and Carl stopped in their tracks to face Sheen.

"Yeah Sheen, remember? We saw Cindy give him a hug, and you told me that it wasn't just a friend hug. But I don't know how it can be more than a friend hug if they're not really friends either." Carl sat down on the floor then, rubbing his shoulder with one hand and his knee with another. Strenuous physical activity still did quite a number on poor Carl, especially since he never could lose the extra weight on his upper body. At one point he had even been on the wrestling team (the 'Pig Punisher' costume reappearing), but after his parents insisted that being involved in more than one extra-curricular could hurt his weak back, he stuck to being president of the state's Llama Love Society chapter.

"Well, I suppose after the recent events, my relations concerning Cindy have changed. We are friends now, I suppose." Okay, that solved Carl's inquiry, but Sheen's didn't really make sense for him. "You don't usually ask if you see me with a girl, Sheen. And since you asked about Cindy specifically, I need to know if Libby put you up to interrogating me."

After wincing at the sound of being caught, Sheen's face fell. "Aw, man. I knew I couldn't be as sneaky as Ultra-Lord's stealth mode from episode 412."

Jimmy chuckled. "It's alright, Sheen. I won't be the informant in your relationship with Libby."

"Then what are you an informant for?"

"Nevermind. Just text Libby what I tell you to and we will both come out of this situation with the upper hand." They both smiled deviously.

Carl just sighed as his two friends eventually joined him on the floor, working on manipulating Libby to talk about Cindy. There really was no point to that. After all, his long-distance relationship with Elke was working just fine, and he hardly ever lied to her through skype. But those two wouldn't listen if he tried to tell them. He got started on the poem instead, working to make it the best one yet to show to his Swedish beauty.

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><p>I really hate incorporating text messages into stories because there are no strict guidelines on how to do it, and I always get confused reading them in other stories. So please let me know if that was hard or easy to understand.<p>

Thank you for reading, and please review.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the long wait, and even more sorry for the short chapter. I have big plans for the next one though, so please read through to get an idea as to what is to come. :)

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron belong to Nickelodeon

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><p>Cindy smiled as she looked down at her phone one last time before crossing the street. The text from Jimmy was nothing more than an offer to take her home, but it was enough to remind her that someone cared. In the end, she just walked with Libby, but the thought was nice.<p>

And right now she was on her way to his lab under the wonderful pretext of doing their project. Sure she had the lima beans and sweeteners, but there was something different on her mind. Cindy had spent the entire day trying to figure out if she was just getting close to Neutron as a way of getting over Nick, and several times throughout the day, Libby would say the same. But there was just something inside of her that said different. The same little piece of her mind that made her visit him at four in the morning should have been the one she would not listen to, but it really did just make sense to her. Jimmy was the person she needed to talk to right now.

"**Name?**"

"Cindy Vortex."

"**Identity confirmed. Access granted.**"

The floor beneath her fell again, and after another few seconds of falling down the tube, she landed on the mattress, hearing the springs groan under her weight. And just like before, when she looked up, Jimmy was leaning against the wall on the doorway to the lab, his bright blue eyes intent on her every move.

"I'm glad you could make it on time, Cindy. Did you bring the materials I asked you for?"

"Do you have to make it sound like we're doing something illegal?"

"I didn't realize you were familiar with dialogue dealing with criminal transactions," he teased, stepping aside. "Anyways, come in, the spectrophotometer and test tubes are ready."

This time the lab was fully lit and Cindy could clearly see how much space he had added since the last time she had come in years ago. Before, it was only a little bigger than his bedroom. But now it was about four times that, every little sector divided (and two curtained off) though as there were no labels, Cindy could not tell exactly what each room was for.

Jimmy led them to the one on the left, just behind the bed she had slept in the night before. And after inputting a short code to a keypad on the door, he opened and held it chivalrously open for her.

"We will be working over here," he gestured to the open counter off to the side. Next to it was the all the beakers, cuvettes, chemicals and pipettes that they would need to get started. However, aside from that there was only little gadgets scattered about that Cindy had seen him create and use when they were younger. Not anything new. Was he hiding them from her?

She didn't dare voice her question aloud, and simply helped him get started on preparing the first set of test tubes correctly and quickly placing them into the spectrophotometer. Of course, some spilling occurred with the water and dissolved sweeteners, and they eventually dared each other to lick the counter. It was fun, but they still had half an hour to kill between data collection and working on the next set (as Vox was monitoring the cuvettes in the spectrophotometer), so they decided to watch another movie. This time, Jimmy chose a Jet Fusion movie, knowing Cindy would at least like it better than the llama movies from Carl and the technological documentaries he had recorded.

They kept up this routine until they were on the last set, a little under two hours since Cindy first came in. And as they were finishing looking at the data, deciding which sweetener worked the most like regular sugar, Jimmy's phone began to ring.

"Hey, Sheen." He responded, having caught sight of the caller id before answering. "She did? Voluntarily? … That means she wants to… Alright, well it will do if nothing else, but that means I'm still short at least another subject. Bye, Sheen. Have her come tomorrow afterschool."

There was a curiosity in her eyes as Jimmy snuck the phone back into his pocket, but she didn't say a word. Her attention was entirely on the graphs Vox had placed on the screen. That wasn't part of his plan. Maybe it was time to employ different tactics.

With a sharp exhale and letting his fingers run through his hair, he slumped on the chair he was sitting in, looking down as frustrated as he could.

"Something the matter, Neutron? That phone call sounded promising." The sarcasm in her voice still not quite enough to convince Jimmy that she didn't care.

"It almost was. I asked Sheen to convince Libby to help me with harmless research, but I am still short one female subject."

"Good luck with that."

"Say Cindy—"

"Nope." Her eyes never left the screen as she copied down and wrote the most important facts down in her notebook.

"Why not?"

"Because your experiments always go haywire, and I happen to like the way my life is now. You know, without a lost limb or brain damage."

"I never said this was an experiment." And suddenly, his voice came from right behind her. A lot closer than she had remembered hearing it about five seconds ago. The warmth from his breath tickled the skin at her shoulder, but there was no other physical contact.

It was still enough to make her heart pick up in speed and her voice shudder with goosebumps running down her back. "There is still a chance something will go wrong though."

Cool fingers wrapped over her shoulders then, and pulled her stumbling back against his chest. "With a sleep based research study like this one, if anything were to fail beyond my ability to repair, then you would wake up, completely unharmed like any other morning in your own bed."

The feel of his hands on her immediately slowed down her thought process, and even though she opened her mouth to say no, all that came out was, "Okay."

Jimmy whirled her around to face him, and lowered his head to establish eye contact.

"So you will help me with my research tomorrow?"

Not wanting to readily accept, she pursed her lips and stepped back, eyeing the curtained off areas around the lab.

"Would I get to see what's behind those curtains?"

"Yes." By then his eyes had wandered to her full lips and barely heard what she was asking, but if there was anything he learned from his father, it was to say yes if a girl asked a question.

"Alright then, I'll help you. But I better not have any missing body parts or scrambled memories when I wake up!"

"You have my word. Now, are you done copying the results? The film was at the resolution if you are interested in completing it before you leave."

After jotting down a few more details and making the adolescent prodigy promise to email her the completed graph of the data once he was finished checking the numbers, they went back to the small living area in front of the television. But this time, Cindy dared to sit closer to Jimmy than before, and sat right next to him instead of on the other side of the couch, her thigh and shoulder brushing up lightly against his. In response, Jimmy reached back and placed her jacket gently over her shoulders.

"Why did you give me my jacket?"

He looked at her after pressing play, confusion etching furrows onto his forehead. "You sat closer to me so I assumed you were cold. Did I misinterpret your body language?"

"I'll let you figure that one out on your own, Neutron." She whispered, playing a perfect poker face as she leaned away from him to watch the movie.

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><p><em>Ring, ring!<em>

"Hello?"

"Hey, Libs."

"Oh, sure. Now you decide to call me back…"

"I'm sorry, but you knew I would get distracted in his lab."

"True, so… how did it go? Did you make your move?"

"I tried. But the guy didn't get it. He just kind of looked at me funny. Flirting is hard if you don't do it for a few years."

"Yeah, right, like I would know. Girl, just tell me if you found out if he likes you back. I need some juicy gossip about robo-boy."

"I didn't get anything. All I did get him to ask is if I would be his guinea pig for some sleep research with you."

"You're doing it too? Oh, thank god. I was only doing it because I owe Sheen, and he said it was the only way to make it up to me."

"Really? He didn't even ask for his usual little run around the bases?"

"No. It was kind of weird. I was thinking about asking Carl what this was about since he doesn't lie much, you know? If there's anything messed up about this 'dream research,' he would tell us…"

"Do you want me to do it?"

"Hell no. This is my investigation. You just go back to worrying about impressing Jimmy. I have to get my funk on."

"That line sounds so gross."

"Whatever, just let me do my thing!"

"Fine. Night, Libs."

"Night, Cindy. Try showing some more skin next time. It always works on Sheen."

"Ugh, goodnight Libby."

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><p>Not exactly my best work, but I needed to get it out. The next one will be better, I hope. But at least in this chapter I could get a little fluff in there to saisfy my inner romance junkie.<p>

Thank you for reading, and as always, please review. Even if it is just to tell me that I missed punctuation, or what you really think of this story, let me know. I really do appreciate it.


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the next chapter! Shorter than promised, I know. But I wanted to get something out before finals take over all my brain power. Enjoy, and I'll get to work on the next chapter asap.

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron belong to Nickelodeon.

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><p>Jimmy noticed his shaking hands while making last minute tweaks on the Dream Injector 7000 (modified twice since the test run on Carl's lima bean nightmare). It was difficult to miss after dropping the wrench twice. This wasn't like him. His hands were usually confident, secure in their movements.<p>

"Leapin' leptons… if this keeps up, I will have to slow down time just to be finished before the girls arrive!" He whispered harshly to himself, bending over to reach the fallen tool.

"Hey Jimmy, how is this plan going to work again?" Sheen asked from his spot on the couch.

Sighing to calm himself down a little, Jimmy decided the current setting on the Injector would provide the best immersion into the girls dream with the least probability of becoming trapped. Now all that was left was to remind his cohorts as to the plan, "The girls will get here, and we take them to the research room. Sheen, you and I will sneak to the next room while Carl watches over the girls and then alerts us as to who falls asleep first by looking at the monitor. He presses the appropriate button—just like I showed you earlier, Carl. Do you remember?" Carl nodded, but did not remove his sight from the llamas on the television screen. "-and depending on who reaches stage 4 sleep first, you and I will enter the dream, and manipulate it to where we can get an idea as to what to do for Prom night.

"Normally I wouldn't let you go in alone, Sheen. But with the very small timeframe we'll have to be in their dream, and the difficulty of coming back, I'll trust you to read the notes I wrote in sharpie on your arm." Pacing while he spoke calmed down the jitters enough to focus on the plan again. The machine would protect the girls' minds enough that even if Sheen went crazy and created a nightmare, no conscious reminders would be left.

Carl lifted his head and looked back at his pacing friend, "My mom says that pacing too much raises blood pressure to deadly levels."

"No, it doesn't! But if you do it fast enough in the same spot, then you make a hole in the ground… You should keep going Jimmy! Make a hole in the ground!" Sheen interrupted Carl, looking back to see the boy genius with an amused look on his face.

"Both of those things might only happen if I were to run at velocities greater than I can reach on my own for an extended period of time… so I think I'll just sit down and avoid either."

So all three boys sat and watched _Llama, Llama, Duck_ until Vox announced the girls' approach two minutes later.

"**Visitor approximation alert. Identified: Cindy Vortex and Libby Folfax. **"

"Show video feed from camera A205 onscreen with audio, Vox. Goddard, go to the entrance and wait for the girls. Make sure they drink the sleep aid before letting them enter the lab."

Jimmy and Sheen scooted to the edge of their seats as Carl picked up the remote and turned up the volume on the television. After a second of static, the camera's view from the doorbell came on. Cindy and Libby were quite a distance away from the front door, walking slowly and chatting up a storm.

The blonde girl was fidgeting with her clothing, looking uncomfortable. "Are you sure this looks okay? Last thing I need is for the straps to fall down and pull the whole top with it while I'm drooling."

"You've slept with that top before, right?" Libby sported a more annoyed, but patient look on her face. After receiving a nod, she continued, "And whenever you woke up with it, was it ever underneath your bra?"

"No… but—"

"Then what are you worrying about? We're just here to sleep. And if what Carl said is true, then this might be the first time we help Jimmy out and not end up needing time to 'recover'." When the last words came out, both girls giggled and Libby reached out to press the doorbell on Vox.

It took a moment, but once the words sunk in, Sheen was the first to react. "What the hell, Carl? You told them our plan?"

"Huh?"

Jimmy exhaled sharply, his previous knowledge on Carl's defense mechanisms came in handy for times like these: he was feigning ignorance. "What were your exact words concerning our plans for dream immersion?"

The anger furrowing their foreheads worried the red headed boy enough to know he had to answer, "I didn't say anything about measuring the dreams! You don't even have any rulers that can do that…"

"Forget immersion! What did you tell them?" There went his patience.

"I told them that you were going to look at stuff in their brain while they slept! That's all, I swear!"

Sheen's rage held on for another moment, and he grabbed the frail boy's shoulders, shaking while he yelled in his face, "Did you say anything about the dreams?"

"No! Just stuff about the brain… Now will you let me go? My scapula is—oof!" Falling into an awkward position on his corner of the couch, Carl sat up and massaged his left shoulder gently.

After letting him go, Sheen stood in place and turned his head back at the sound of the doors opening to greet his girlfriend with a cocky smile. "Hey, babe!"

"Hey, Sheen. Jimmy, Carl. That goop you gave us is pretty sleepy; can we just get to the sleeping part already?" Libby called, a yawn holding her mouth open longer at the end of her sentence.

"Of course. I have beds set up in my containment chamber. Please don't touch anything along the way," Jimmy called over his shoulder as he led the way to the further rooms.

Again he punched in a code to the keypad on a doorway Cindy had not seen the day before. Not only was it concealed by curtains, but also darkness, as it was in a far off corner. Inside however, was vastly different from the first room. It was much smaller, but held only computers and screens, each one showing or analyzing something different in a lighted platform or glass box. And the entire wall to the left was a window looking in a smaller room with the beds Jimmy mentioned and a table with weird looking instruments nearby.

"Right through here please. Sheen, come help me place the probes on Libby's head; I'll take care of Cindy. Carl… just stay there until I come back, okay?"

After a minute of explaining what the probes and odd looking tube was for, Jimmy and Sheen connected them to the girls, watching them fall asleep the instant their heads hit the bed.

Once outside the room, Jimmy and Sheen sprinted to the room next door, ignoring a very confused looking Carl behind to watch the girls. In this next room, the Dream Injector 7000 was glowing, with the main light-bulb in the center of the arc oddly dim. Jimmy spun around and held the bigger teenager firmly by the shoulders to hold him still and grab his attention.

"Okay, Sheen, if the light turns green, then you go in first. If it's blue, then I go first. Be sure to wait at least ten seconds after I go in, to make sure we don't mix up the immersion order. When you're in, look at the exact instructions I wrote on your arm, and avoid showing them to Libby, because she will be the only 'real' consciousness you see in there. When you have an idea as to what to do for prom, then get out the way I taught you as quickly as you can. Any questions?"

"Yeah… The light's green. Do I go in now?"

"Yes. Go, Sheen!"

The words were barely said, and Sheen ran into the glowing space beneath the arch, pushing Jimmy to the ground along the way. After Jimmy took a second to dust himself off, he waited for the light to change before counting down from ten to both create enough space between himself and Sheen to not cross dreams, and also to mentally gather himself as the jitters got to him again.

"Let's do this." Jimmy whispered before running into the archway, his point of view never noticing the light bulb flash green right as he went in.

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><p>*gasp* Good god, not another cliffhanger! Yes, it is, I'm sorry. But if you're angry with me and want to know what happens next, click the little button below so I can get my butt in gear. Thanks for reading.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is in honor of you, my readers. I love and cherish every single review I get. And just to prove how much I respect your words, I got a review a little bit ago telling me to "get my butt in gear." I didn't have too much homework yet, so I did just that. Enjoy!

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron belong to Nickelodeon.

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><p>There he was, in the middle of a huge crowd listening to some of the more raucous kind of music his peers blasted in the hallways. And he hated every second of being pushed around by the more unimportant figures in the dream. Though there was something about his gut's insistence that something was wrong.<p>

Cindy was nowhere to be found. Not even on the stage, singing like he might have guessed she would want to be.

It was only about ten seconds later, that every figure began jumping up and down around him frantically, yelling as an unidentified voice came over the speakers announcing, "Yo, errybody! Put yo hands together for the Queen of Funk, the Duchess of Pop, and the Princess of Soul: the one and only Madam Libby!"

Jimmy's mouth dropped as Libby walked onstage with a very ornate black, Victorian style dress on and approached the stage ready to sing. Cindy was nowhere in sight.

Crap. Even with all of his preparations, he couldn't avoid the complete possibility of error. Finding out the exact cause of it could wait until later, but first he had to find out if he had enough time to remedy the current predicament. He brought his wristwatch to his mouth, mentally urging Libby to continue her ballad until the back up plans could be more solidified. However, before he could even press a button, Sheen's voice came from the watch.

"Ummm… Jimmy, if I'm in Libby's dream, then why won't she talk to me? And why is Cindy so much frickin' louder than normal?"

"We switched dreams, Sheen. Now just stay calm and don't mess with anything. Do you remember the procedure to remove yourself from the dream? Because if we-"

"Wait, Jimmy! Everything got all colorful, and now—Hey, I see a guy that looks just like you! I'm gonna go poke him."

"Pay attention! I—ow. For the love of—Sheen! How are you here?" Sure enough, the pain from a finger stabbing into his side became the amused grin belonging to his friend, and behind him was a very confused-looking Cindy sporting a beautiful cocktail dress that looked out of place in such a monochrome crowd. "And how is Cindy here?"

"I don't know. In Cindy's dream, we were at the prom, and then when I talked to you, half the room got blurry and we got here."

Jimmy took a moment to mentally change his clothes to a look matching Cindy's, but before he could start working out how the bridge between the girls' minds were created, a blast of light and sound onstage interrupted his thoughts. Libby's dress was torn apart by back up dancers until she was wearing shiny shorts and tank top more befitting of the pop music she started singing to. That was all it took for Sheen to leave Jimmy behind and run to the front of the crowd, arms waving for his girlfriend to see.

Shaking his head at the expected reaction, Jimmy lifted his watch again to press buttons on the sides, noticing from the corner of his eyes the changes in the dream until they were at the prom scene Cindy had instead of Libby's concert. Though to make Libby's mind work better with the change, he placed her onstage, singing a ballad with Sheen watching carefully below the balloon-filled stage.

Cindy was now sitting on the side of the room, alone while the rest of the crowd swayed to Libby's song. Perfect. Walking up to her as casually as possible, Jimmy offered her his hand when he was close enough, and watched the surprise in her eyes when her sight trailed up his arm to land on his face.

"May I have this dance?"

* * *

><p>The two boys had to sprint from the Dream Injector 7000's arch to the room where Carl kept watch on Cindy and Libby. After all, the girls were waking up, and if they weren't all in there "collecting data," that would be suspicious enough. They took a second to catch their breath, and then walked in to help the girls remove the equipment from their heads.<p>

"Did you have a nice nap?" Jimmy asked, offering Cindy his hand to help her off the bed.

"I don't remember sleeping that well in ages. You should give me some of that goop to take home, Neutron." She replied.

He took a moment pretending to think it over, all the while holding her in place with a firm grip on her hand until Sheen and Libby left the room so they could have at least a second of privacy. "I might be willing to spare a few ounces, if you'll allow me to ask you a question."

"Shoot, Brain Boy. Though I'm willing to bet money it's to do another experiment or research thingy."

"Poor guess, Cindy. I wanted to know if you could come over on Saturday and help me with my English homework. Creativity is still not one of my strong suits and I would appreciate your feedback on a short story I wrote. And just as a side note: it can't kill you to call me Jimmy." Leading the way out of the chamber, he noticed that the observation room itself was devoid of the rest of their group.

Cindy sighed, taking advantage of the empty room to hold his hand a little tighter. "Well I could use a laugh... Will you let me have a jar of the magic sleeping jam if I do?"

"You got it." He murmured, handing her the half-full container Goddard held up.

* * *

><p>Everyone had been acting weird for the past few days. But to a point it could be expected since that Saturday was the day of Junior Prom and while the more shy kids were struggling to find dates, the prepared couples were planning every detail in advance. At least she didn't have to worry about it, and simply enjoyed watching Libby panic over the dinner and music selections for the night (Principal Gordon had allowed her to sing a few songs as the school's favorite choir performer). There were still plans to keep though, as she walked to Jimmy's lab that afternoon to help him with the paper.<p>

Vox let her in after a moment, and Jimmy was waiting for her against the doorway again, casually sipping on a Purple Flurp.

Sighing in the most dramatic way possible, Cindy remained seated, and only held her hand out in hopes that he would help her up without asking.

He smirked mischievously but walked over and helped her up without complaint. Instead he led the way into the lab again, and took a seat on the couch. "Purple Flurp?"

"No thanks, Jimmy. C'mon, gimme that paper of yours, so I can get to my other plans for the day." She crossed her arms as she sat down next to him, closer than before.

"You have plans for the day?" The nonchalant act came down with those words, and Cindy could pick up on the surprise in his tone.

"Well," Her arms uncrossed themselves and began to wring each other on her lap, "It's mostly just watching movies and doing homework. It's just another Saturday, you know. Nothing special."

"Right. But what if I told you that I can make it special?" The air of confidence around him was nonexistent now and completely replaced by thinly veiled anxiousness. That was more like the Jimmy she liked to see.

It didn't stop the skeptical look or sarcasm that came out with her question though. "We aren't going to the prom are we?"

"Of course not," he said, shaking his head. "Although you aren't properly dressed for the evening I have planned for us. I have more appropriate clothes, if you are still willing to accompany me instead of spending the night doing chores."

After taking a moment to think it over, she got up with a smile on her face. "I'm game. Just tell me where I can go change."

He got up next to her and pulled her in close by the waist. Heat flared up where their bodies touched, but Jimmy refused to let space between them. "Be as still as possible, Cindy..." He felt her nod under his chin. "Vox, wardrobe change BP-175, adjustment A603."

One of the giant plastic tubes came down to surround them, and just when they were surrounded by thick vapors, his grip around her waist loosened, and he gently pushed her a few steps back. It almost felt like she was alone inside the tube from how little she could see. At least his outline was still visible, and a moment later, she saw mechanical arms come down and warp the shadow. When the figure stopped moving and the mechanical arms came towards her, she panicked.

"Jimmy?"

"I'm right here. Don't worry. Just relax and it'll be over soon."

His fleshy hand came within view, and she grasped it, holding on as the cold metal ones gently pulled off her clothing and put on something new. Her eyes closed as soon as they made contact with her skin, and she held as still as possible until it was done and the whirs of the tube lifting over their heads could be heard.

"Cindy…" He murmured.

"Yeah?"

"You can open your eyes now."

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><p>More cutscenes than I tend to like placing in such a short chapter, but I have plans for the next ones (which will be the last one or two) that needed to get set up here to make it a little sweeter later. I can't guarantee the next one anytime soon since school started, but your reviews will keep me procrastinating on that homework, so click the little button to distract me from school! And as always, thanks for reading.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again! Here is the LAST chapter of my little ficlet. Ending it on my lucky number was smart because I haven't felt this confident about a chapter or written piece of work since I started this piece, so mission accomplished. I don't know if I'll do any more Jimmy Neutron pieces, but I just want to thank you all for the support and welcome I've felt from this community. I really appreciate it. Anyways, I'm ranting again. Enjoy the J/C love!

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron belong to Nickelodeon.

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><p>First one eye and then both opened. When she saw that there was nothing in front of her but Jimmy's smiling face, her eyes drifted down to see what he was wearing.<p>

"Wow." It took Cindy a second to notice that even though her mouth was open, Jimmy was the one who spoke. But she didn't remove her eyes from him as she admired every detail about his new outfit.

The guy looked stunning. His black silk suit was cut exactly to enhance his build and emphasize the broad shoulders and tall stature. Under the jacket he wore a maroon button up, casually opened at the top to expose some inches below the neck. And of course the breast pocket was embellished with his symbol in the same color as the shirt. It was like a better, more sophisticated version of Jimmy with a cool, uncaring undertone.

"You took my word, Neutron. Why so spiffy, though? I thought we weren't going to Prom."

"There's more than one reason to dress in formal wear on a Saturday night, although our occasion will hopefully surprise you. What do you think of your dress?"

Surprise lit up her face for a moment and it occurred to him that just as he hadn't looked at himself by checking her out, she must have done the same. So he led her over to a full-length mirror near a sink and emergency shower on the other side of the lab and let her study the reflection. She looked amazing. She was donning a halter top dress that was fitted around her bosom-enhancing it nicely- and flowed outward in a light, delicate material that went to the floor in the back and diagonally cut to her knees in the front. It was multi-colored, but the palate matched that of the ocean, with blues and greens in a background of white, and swirls of reds (that matched his shirt), and various other colors. She kept turning in the mirror, looking over every inch by picking up the hem and twirling it now and then, and running her hands along the strings holding up the dress, the smile constantly growing on her face in the meantime.

"Jimmy, I love it." She whispered, looking back at him through the mirror. "But you didn't have to buy this for me."

"I didn't. Well, the accessories were Libby's idea and they had to be purchased," He hinted at her bracelet and the sparkly flats she wore, "The dress however has yet to be seen outside this room. Proof of that is on your left hip."

Moving her arm to look down at the dress, she immediately noticed Jimmy's symbol in a shimmering red—the same maroon tone showing up again—stitched into the side, just along her hip.

"So even clothes you make have to have your stamp instead of a designer label?"

He shook his head, "My design skills don't reach far beyond that of technology. Libby designed the clothes too. I just made the machines that would follow her drawings and specific details. And as wonderful as these details are, I recommend we make our leave so that we can return at a decent hour." He said, offering her his arm.

She hesitated, and then gestured for him to wait a moment as she picked up her purse and pulled the phone out to make a quick call to her parents. They assumed that Jimmy surprised her with tickets to Prom and After-Prom, and she decided not to correct them. After all, thanks to that thinking, her curfew was gone for the night.

"Let's go."

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><p>Now Cindy could admit that so far, Jimmy had done well in this little date for the night. The adorable way he asked her to leave with him, the brand new outfit, and even the way he held her hand in the hovercar on the way was more than she could hope for. But he had still not told her where they were going, and even went as far as to blindfold her before they got in the car. Yup, that was enough to sour her mood a little.<p>

"Are we there yet?"

"Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a significantly different result. And since you have asked me that same question twice before in the past forty-eight seconds, logic dictates that you are insane." Just the devious tone in his voice was more than enough to know that the asshole was grinning, and it was making her livid.

"Then am I getting the same answer?"

"Fortunately for you, I—"

"About time!"

Without a second thought, she reached her hands up and tore the handkerchief off of her face, much too late for when Jimmy looked over to see the fabric fall to her lap. "Wait—Oh, what's the use? I should have known that would happen the instant I said fortunately. Will you at least stay in the car until I can light the area well enough for us to see? Keep in mind that the only reason I'm asking is because if I don't, you will let yourself out."

The atmosphere in the car was serious for a moment, while Cindy nodded, seeming to think over his words. It was only for a moment, as she looked him dead in the eye, with her hand on the door handle. "So we're on the same page?"

"Puking Pluto… At least stay close to the car. Please?"

"I can do that. Now, let's go have fun. That's what we're here for, right?" Cindy said that so gently, looking into his deep blue eyes with a sincerity Jimmy hadn't seen since that night she went to see him in the early hours before school.

"I wouldn't have brought you here otherwise."

No time to allow the mushy feelings to get a hold of him, he opened the door and started to jog to create the perimeter of light first so that Cindy would at least stay within the safer areas.

Cindy, however, opened the door, breathed deeply the salty sea air, and listened to the sounds of waves crashing against the beach for a moment. All the senses pulled at her memories, but there weren't any solid images popping up behind her eyelids just yet. When she looked down and saw the sand, she took off her shoes to enjoy the feel of it between her toes.

"Why did you argue with me about leaving the car when you have yet to get up from the seat?"

"Huh? Oh, well I… was…" Her anger could be a beautiful thing, but with the time Jimmy had spent with her recently, he knew that there was just something extra special about when she was flustered and caught off-guard that really added to her appeal. Which was of course why this entire date was about surprising her as much as he could. "Dammit all, just tell me where we are."

"Take a look."

That's when the memories came rushing back. Just one look at the newer house in a tree by the shore, and she knew exactly where they were beyond a shadow of a doubt. Since it had been several years, it would be a miracle if anything hinting at the previous visit survived. So it surprised Cindy that every almost everything looked the way it did all those years ago, with the small exception of modern little details that Jimmy would never willingly go without (mostly lanterns, as far as she could see). Everything else however, was like bringing back childhood and what she could easily recall as her best time with Jimmy.

"You brought us back to our island!"

A small smile crept up his cheeks at seeing her so happy, and he explained as he led her to the treehouse, "I returned last year in search of some valuable resources, and since I spent so much time here afterwards, I reconstructed one of the houses. With modifications, of course. By bringing you here tonight, I hoped to help you remember the last time we really got away from social pressures, and got to know one another."

By then they had entered the tree-house, but with the luxury and attention to detail, it felt like any other house Cindy had been in. Smaller, but with a kitchen, living room, dining room, and other rooms with closed doors that she could only guess held some sort of mobile lab or a bedroom. And there, on the table, was dinner waiting for them.

Jimmy hurried ahead, and pulled the chair out for her before taking a seat himself, enjoying the way Cindy's mouth was open to catch bugs if she wanted.

"Did you seriously make dinner too, Jimmy?" She asked skeptically.

"Cooking is the edible counterpart of science, Cindy. And I have spent many long hours over an easy-bake oven to heat up my earlier experiments, so making the switch to food was not difficult."

They laughed over that, and dinner became a very easygoing affair from then on. The food was a very simple salad and pasta, but one of the best Italian meals she had ever had. It made her doubt whether or not Jimmy had actually just ordered the food instead, but he never answered when she asked. And then the teasing began, with little chuckles in between that became full out laughter throughout the conversation. Better than any date Jimmy had ever been on and more enjoyable than hanging out with Nick was for Cindy.

When most of the meal was finished, music came on in the background and Jimmy got up and offered her his hand. "Join me for a walk on the beach?"

"We won't get attacked by giant, man-eating, ferocious spiders?"

"Not if I can help it."

Taking the elevator down, the pair got a beautiful view of the sunset glimmering along the ocean waves. It was the perfect background to take a calm stroll, hand in hand.

There was a comfortable silence between them until the sun had set and the wind's breeze carried over to where they walked along the shore, making Cindy shiver at her date's side. Jimmy took notice and removed his jacket to gently drape it over her shoulders, returning the smile she gave him in thanks.

Breezes came and went, making the atmosphere considerably cooler, but never cold, so the pair made their way back to the area in front of the treehouse, where Jimmy set up a bonfire and the two sat down on a log nearby. They watched the flames together, each second getting closer and closer together until Cindy rested her head on his shoulders, and he wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm. At least, that's what he told himself at first. It took a long time of comfortable silence, however, until Jimmy actually remembered the point of tonight. And he had to get to it before it got too late.

"Cindy?"

"Hmm?"

"You look beautiful tonight." He whispered, looking down at her blonde head.

"I look great every day. But thank you, Jimmy. You don't look so bad, either."

"Barely willing to return the compliment, I see. Well, regardless of your inability to be nice to me, I have a question to ask you. And I would appreciate it very much if you would be sincere with the answer."

The serious tone was enough to make her lift her head to look him in the eyes, but a twinkle there made helped him understand how little she understood so far, "Geez, you make it sound like a life or death situation. Though knowing you, it's gonna be like, 'blue or red?'"

"No, Cindy." He grabbed her hand. "No more jokes, no more teasing… Our situation passed the inconsequential when you asked me to be your lab partner and at this moment I need to know if you like me enough to be with me."

She was quiet and serious for a moment as she gathered her thoughts, "You mean in a relationship?"

"Well… That's the idea." He looked down at their hands, a blush drawing up his face.

"I'm a high maintenance woman, James. Think you can keep up with that without your big-headed ego getting in the way?"

"Now that is something to consider." He said, raising an eyebrow. "But let me ask you this in turn: I'm not a sentimental man, Cynthia. Think you can be in a relationship with me if I'm not a romantic fool every second?"

"Touché."

Everything around them was still for what felt like the longest moment in Jimmy's entire life. The wind and insects even seemed to be on mute while he held eye contact with her, hoping that the action alone would be enough to help her see his feelings. All the while, their fingers were still twisted tightly in the other's grasp, warmth filling every crevice between the skin.

That's when it happened. Before he could even react, Cindy's other hand shot out from her side to cup his cheek and she lifted herself enough for her face to reach his. In less than a second, she had placed her lips against his. Those luscious lips that he had been dying to kiss again for years, and being this close, he could smell jasmine coming from her hair. When the kiss got deeper, and he turned his head to open her to him, he tasted the watermelon lip balm he had seen her apply earlier, and loved every second of the fell of her skin on his tongue.

Cindy was enjoying the kiss, relishing how tender he was with his grip, but commanding with his actions. It was a much better kiss than she had remembered. But then again, that one time in the alley was almost a forgotten memory by now. Her hand wondered up his hair to help deepen the kiss, and by letting go of the other hand, she draped it over his neck to pull him in even closer. Although he helped when he used his free hands around her waist too.

Sooner than either of them would have liked, they broke the kiss, gasping slightly. Cindy leaned her head in, lips right next to his ear so she could whisper the words he knew he was dying to hear.

"Alright, Jimmy. I'm willing to try this out."

"I am too." He murmured back, the warmth of his breath blowing past her ear making her shiver in delight instead of cold.

"Good. Now next time you want to make plans with me, how about you ask what I want to do instead of invade my dreams?"

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><p>AHHHH! IT IS DONE! I almost cried writing the last section. As I said earlier, I don't know if I will make more Neutron fanfiction, but if it is demanded, I'll watch a few episodes for inspiration ;). [Hint: hit me up on Twitter loversangel_60]<p>

Thank you very much for reading. Now click the little button below if you enjoyed as much as I did, or would like to yell at me about anything I might have done wrong.


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